Harvester&#39;s bag.



l. F. PETERSON & T. S. KIRBY.

HARVESTERS BAG, APPLICATION m56 1m12.191s.

Patented July 25, 1916 v) a JFlete/ 60714 INVENTORS Affari/ey JOHN F. PETERSON AND THOMAS S. KIRBY, OF MADISON', ALABAMA.

HARVESTER S BAG.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 25, 11916.

`Application filed January 22, 1916. Serial N o. 73,651.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN F. PETERSON and Trrorms S. KrnnY, citizens of the United States, residing at Madison, in the county of Madison and State of Alabama, have in vented a new and useful Harvesters Bag, ofl

which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improved harvesters bag, and has for an object to provide a bag of this character with a collapsible mouth, which when folded, admits the rolling or folding of the bag into compact size; to provide a bag with a sup porting apron and supporting strips which are used not only to support the bag upon the person, but which also serve the purpose of closing and securing the bag for carrying, weighing, and transportation by rail, or the like; and to provide a bag and supporting means therefor, which when attached to the person gathering the cotton, fruit, vegetables, or the like, hangs against the back of the person, counterbalances the body of the person when stooping, and when walking, and prevents the tiring and straining of the back. y y

Another object of this invention is to provide a bag, and an apron therefor, formed in one piece or length of material; to provide a bag with a collapsible ring or hook in the mouth thereof, and provide the ring with a stop joint to hold the bag open when the ring is extended, so that the mouth of the bag will be held in position to readily receive the cotton, fruit, vegetables, or the like, being picked, or gathered; and to provide a harvesters bag which may be so attached to the person that both hands are free to pick or gather, and thus permit the gathering in of a greater amount in a given time than with the bags and baskets now employed, and which must be constantly steadied by hand.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be clearly brought out from the following specific disclosure of the present preferred embodiment, shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the bag in position `on the person, the mouth of the bag being open to receive its contents from time to time as picked or gathered. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section, taken through the bag in open position. Fig.y 3 is a front elevation of ythe bag when filled and closed, showing the shoulder straps thereof extendin g downwardly against the front of the bag to. hold the apron over the top thereof. Fig. l 1s a similar View, showing a slightly different arrangement of the shoulder straps, which in this instance encircle the bag. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the ring secured in the mouth of the bag, this figure showing the ring extended or open.

`Referring to this drawing, wherein like parts are designated by similar characters of reference, 10 designates a bag made of any suitable strong flexible material, and which is provided upon its inner side with an upwardly extending apron 11. As may be best seen from Fig. 2, the apron 11 and the body ofthe bag 10 are formed of one continuous piece or length of material, which extends from the top of the apron 11 down to the bottom of the bag, and is thence yreturned upwardly and stitched along its meeting edges, as at 12, to provide the inclosure at the bottom or loop of the strip', and the upwardly extending apron 11 at the top of the strip. It will be noted that the free ends of the strip are overturned and stitched to provide a hem 13 along the upper and lateral edges of the apron 11, and a hem 14C around the upper marginal edge of the mouth of the bag and at the front thereof. The mouth of the bag 10 is provided with a band or strip 15, which extends entirely around the mouth of the bag and against the inner wall thereof, and which is stitched at its upper and lower edges to provide, between the band 15 and the fro-nt and rear walls of the bag, an annular passage or channel 16 in which is placed a folding ring or loop 17. As shown to advantage in Fig. 5, this ring 17 is made in two sections, which are semicircular in form and madep'preferably of heavy wire. The section 17 of the ring is provided with loop eyes 18, which extend in a vertical plane from the ends of the section 17 andare offset downwardly to provide a support or rest 19 at each end of the section 17. The opposite semi-circular section 171 is provided at its opposite ends with horizontal loops 2() forming eyes for pivotal engagement through the vertical eyes 18, so as to hingedly connect the opposite sections of the ring, and admit the sections to be swung over in either direction, one upon the other. The horizontal loops or eyes 2O terminate in extensions or fingers 21, which are curved outwardly from the ends of the loops 20, are carried longitudinally beyond the vertical eyes 1S, and are thence bent inwardly into the path of the supporting shoulders 19 to engage the same and holdv the section 17 from swinging downwardly out of thehorizontal plane of the opposite section 171. Thus, the ring 17 may be collapsed by swinging either section upwardly and over onto the opposite section, but the ring is held extended by the fingers 21 and the shoulders 19, so that the sections of the ring cannot fall and must necessarily. hold the mouth, of the bag open when adjusted in the position shown in Fig. 2.

The Vbag 10 is adapted to hang against the back of the person, who is picking or gathering, and to be located, by the adjustment fof the shoulder straps 22, below the waist or seat ofthe person, and also to be suspended from the' shoulders yof the person, so as to counter-balance the weight of the body of the person when stooping over, or when walking in upright position. The apron 11 is adapted to rest against the back of the person and conform to the curvature thereof, as is shown to advantage in Figs. 1 and 2. The upper edge 13 of the apron carries a pair of spaced apart shoulder straps 22 adjustable as to length by means of buckles 23, and provided upon their upper ends with snap hooks 24. The straps 22 are adapted to pass upwardly over the shoulders, be crossed in front, and carried downwardly and backwardly beneath the arms where the snap hooks 24 are adapted to engage with rings 25 secured preferably to the upper free corners of the apron 1l. In this manner, the straps 22 hoid the apron llrlup upon the back, and the free ends of the straps engaging the free corners of the apron, bend and hold the apron across the back, so that the apron fits snugly thereagainst, and conforms to the curvature thereof. Thus, the apron is firmly held across the back of the picker, the bag hangs down close against the back, .and the body of the bag lies wholly below the waist or seat of t-he person carrying the bag. As the weight of the bag and its contents are thus disposed below the waist line, a slight for- -ward inclination of the body counter-balances the weight of the bag, so that practically no strain is placed upon the back and the bag assists in supporting the body when thepicker isstooping to gather or pick the contents of the bag. The ring 17 holds the mouth'of the'bag open so that the picker may easily reach around fromeither side and deposit the cotton, or the like, in the bag, without the necessity of drawing the bag around to the side and opening it, or otherwise adjusting the bag. f y

After the bag has been filled, the snap hooks 24 are released from the rings 25 and the bag is permitted to drop to the ground from Ythe back of the picker. The apron 11 is now carried forwardly over the mouth of the bag, which mouth is collapsed as far as is possible by the swinging upwardly of the outer section of the ring 17, and the free edge 13 of the apron is drawn down against the front of the bag. The shoulder straps 22 are now utilized for securing the apron 11 over the mouth of the bag, and to accomplish this purpose, the straps 22 are preferably crossed and passedy through the opposite corner rings 25 of the apron, so as to ldraw the cornersof the apron taut down against the front of the bag and completely kclose the top thereof. .As shown in Fig. 3,

the straps 22 may be carried directly downward and the snap hooks 24 secured to a bottom central securing ring 26, which is secured to the lower end of the bag intermediate its lateral edges byY means of a tab 27.

As shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing, the

supporting straps, after passing through the corner rings 25 of the apron, may be wound oppositely around the body 10 ofthe bag and finally brought together at the bottom adjacent the ring 2G, so that the snap hooks 24 may be engaged in the ring` 26 to securely hold the straps 22L about the bag.- In each instance, however, it is desired to weigh the bag, and it will be readily kunderstood that the hook of the scale may be passed beneath the straps 22 of Fig. 3 midway between the top and bottom of the bag, or the scale hook may be engaged beneath the crossed portions of the straps 22a, as shown in Fig. 4 in dotted lines, so as to counter-balance the opposite ends of the bag uponthe scale hook.

In suspending the bag relatively low on the back of the harvester, the products picked orA gathered may be more easily dropped in the open top of the bag by swinging the arms backwardly without appreciably raising the same. Thus easy access to the bag is had by this low position' thereof.

It is, of course, understood that it is with! device arranged within the mouth of the bag to maintain it in an open position, said device being collapsible to close said mouth, said apron being adapted for engagement across the back of a person and to be folded down over the mouth of the bag when closed to hold the mouth in closed position, a pair of shoulder straps secured to the apron and extending upwardly therefrom, securing means for engagement with the free ends of the straps to hold the straps looped over the shoulders and support the apron and the bag, and a second securing means at the bottom of the bag to hold the straps taut when the apron is in its folded position.

2. A harvesters bag comprising a bag having an upwardly opening mouth, an apron extending upwardly from and forming a continuation of one side of said mouth, a pair of shoulder straps carried by the apron and adapted for engagement over the shoulders of a person to support the bag, and a pair of rings carried at the upper portion of the apron and adapted to receive the shoulder straps tol hold the apron in eX- tended position, said apron when the bag is filled being adapted to be folded forwardly over the mouth of the bag with said straps passed through said rings to hold the apron in closed position.

3. A harvesters bag comprising a body portion having an open upper end, an apron adapted to lit across the back of the person and extending upwardly to support the bag below the waist or seat, a pair of shoulder straps carried by the apron and adapted for engagement over the shoulders of the person to support the bag, a pair of ringsy carried upon the upper corners of the apron and adapted to receive the ends of the shoulder straps to hold the same in position, said apron when the bag is filled being adapted to be folded forwardly over the open end of the bag and said straps being adapted to be crossed and passed through said rings to draw the corners of the apron tightly over the top of the bag, and means for securing said straps in taut position against the bag.

A harvesters bag comprising a bag and an upwardly extending apron at one side of the bag, a two-part ring secured in the mouth of the bag and having interlocic ing looped eyes at the meeting ends of the parts, the looped eyes of one of the parts having stop lingers projecting into the path of the opposite part to hold the parts in eX- tended position when the bag is open, supporting straps carried by the apron for enga gement over the shoulders of the har vester, means for holding the supporting straps in position, the parts of said ring being adapted to be folded to close the upper end of the bag, said apron being adapted to be drawn over the top of the bag and down against the opposite side thereof and means for holding said shoulder straps taut against the side of thev bag to bind the apron over the top of the bag.

5. A harvesters bag f comprising a bag with an upwardly opening mouth, an apron extending upwardly from and forming a continuation of one side of said mouth, a device arranged within the mouth of the bag to maintain it in an open position, said device being collapsible to close said mouth, said apron being adapted for engagement across the back of a person and to be folded down over the mouth of the bag when closed to hold the mouth in closed position, and means connected with the apron for suspending the bag from the shoulders of the person with the apron over the back of the latter, said suspending means constituting means for holding the apron in its closed position over the mouth of the bag.

6. A harvesters bag comprising a single strip returning upon itself with one end extending beyond the other and being stitched along the overturned edges to pro- Vide a bag with an upwardly opening mouth and an apron extending upwardly beyond and forming a continuation of one side of the mouth, means connected to the apron for suspending the bag from the shoulders of a person, and a collapsible frame in the mouth of the bag for holding the mouth open and adapted to be folded to collapse the bag and bring its opposite upper edges together, said apron being adapted for engagement across the back of the person and to be folded down over the mouth of the bag when collapsed Vfor holding the mouth closed.

7. A harvesters bag comprising an apron adapted for securement upon the back of the harvester, a bag suspended from the apron, a two-part ring securedin the mouth of the bag, one part having vertical loops upon its opposite ends oiiset to provide a rest at each end of the part inwardly of the loops, horizontal loops provided upon the ends of the opposite part and engaging through the vertical loops of the first part to hingedly connect the two parts of the ring,y the horizontal loops having fingers projecting from the terminals thereof Vand extending into the paths of said rests to engage the same when the parts are fully opened to hold the mouth of the bag extended.

8. A harvosters bag comprising a bag with an upwardly opening mouth, an apron extending upwardly from and forming a continuation of one side of said mouth, said apron being adapted to be folded down so as to close over the mouth of the bag, shoulder straps connected to the apron for suspending the bag from the shoulders of a person, and a fastening device at the bottom of the bag to which the said straps are as Vour own, we have hereto axed our sig# connected anc; lald in taut relation yhen natures in the presence of two Witnesses. the a ron is o ed over the mouth o the bag, vlhereby the bag is kept'n elosedrposj y o 5 tion and the straps are adapted to be engaged by t scale n Weighing the Contents tnessles: v of the bag. S. C. GATES,

In testimony, that We claim the foregoing GEO. R. PETERSON.

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